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My Gadget Life – James Haskell

The England flanker on big hands, tablets and England’s chances in the Rubgy World Cup 2011

23 September 2011/14:43BST

If I could pick one gadget it’d be my iPad 2. I use it for everything from video editing for my app, reading books, watching movies and writing blogs. My three essential apps are Flipboard, Skype – no, FaceTime is better – and Osfoora HD for Twitter.

Tablets won’t replace laptops for a while. I’d never get an iPad without a laptop and frankly for someone with big hands it’s easier to type on a laptop. Also, while some apps are great, the detail you get using software on a MacBook is on a different level. Look at iMovie, if you need an example.

I’ll try to resist buying the iPad 3 the day it comes out, telling myself I can wait until the next model comes out or see if there are any big differences. This philosophy normally falls apart about a month in, when one of my team mates has it, and it looks awesome.

I couldn’t hold the first iPad for long without it making my arms ache. That made it difficult to use for prolonged periods, especially during travelling, something us rugby players do a lot. Tablet screens are great as they are, but typing can be tricky for the bigger gentleman. I can touch type but struggle on an iPad or iPhone.

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I think tech is a good thing in sport – so many results could have been changed if there had been better tech. It doesn’t slow the game down from a player's perspective. It's always difficult to get the balance and sometimes, even with the TMO [television match official, or video referee], you can't clearly see if the ball has crossed the line even with loads of angles. I think in tennis it's shown that human error and what people believed they saw can differ dramatically.

If I could travel back in time, I'd go back to when Steve jobs first left Apple and shares were down massively in price. Then I’d invest everything I had knowing he would come back and steer the ship. I'd be beyond minted.

Who’s going to win the Rugby World Cup 2011? It’s a tough question. The All Blacks and South Africa look the teams to beat. But you have to believe that England can do it.